Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information (FOI) 2014 Act came into effect on October 14th 2014 and repealed the 1997 and 2003 Acts. The Freedom of Information Act 2014 gives people the right to access records held by Government Departments and certain public bodies which includes the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) under the aegis of the Department of Education and Skills.

FOI establishes a number of important legal rights for every person, as follows:

The right to access official records created after April 21st 1998 which are held by Government Departments or other public bodies listed under the Act.

The right to have personal information held on them corrected or updated where such information is incomplete, incorrect or misleading; and

The right to be given reasons for decisions taken by public bodies that affect them.